Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-03
EDUCATION AND RELIGION.
An Interesting Discussion on This Sub.
ject Last Evening Before the COngre-
gatiOnal Club.

"Has our school and collegiate education become
two much seculariZed?" was the subject of an in
teresting discussion at the meeting last evening of
the Congregational Club at the Congregational
church. The president Of the club, Mr.. L. Deane
presided, and pleasantly introduced each OF the
speakers. The discussion was opened by DR.. Pat
ton, the president OF Howard University, who said
that religious instruction ought to be intro
duced in every system Of education from the pr1-
mary department through the higher grades. sAs to
whether education had become too much secular
lied, that depends very much on the point OF view
Mr. R0maniSt, who believes honestly that all edu-
cation ought to be in the control OF the priests
NATURALLY thinks that there is too little religion in
modern education, while the good Old New Eng
land pastor, who in former years was accustomed
to visit the schools In his locality and hear the
children recite their catechiSm, now would deplOre
the secularizatdon Of education The catechism Is
no longer taught In the schools. and the minister
does not visit them to give religious instruction.
Another class Of people complain that they can't
have the religious exercises they would like to
have in the schools. They would like to have
prayer offered, hymns sung and the Bible read.
But so many people object to 1t that IL can't be
done. The people are no longer all Congregation
alistS as was the case some years ago in New Eng
land. They are OF
VARIETY OF FAITHS AND BELIEFS.
Therefore, under this changed condition the
speaker favored all the religious teaching In the
schools that was possible. The amount would
differ In different communities. He was opposed
to forcing 1t on community. He believed In equal
rights and as all citizens contributed to the support
OF the public schools their rights were equal He
did not believe in forcing Protestanttsm upon
Catholic minority, nor Catholicism upon Protest
ant minority. He thought there was too great a
tendency to put on on the State the duties that
belonged to the church and the family. The re-
sponslbility could not be thus shifted. The pri-
funds had the full responsibility in this matter,
and he looked with apprehension upon such
movements at Harvard which recently abolished
compulsory attendance upon daily prayers The
tendency was not good one. The speaker said
that his position on this subject was simply this:
That when Christian people had the matter en-
tirely under their control they should introduce
religious teachings as largely as possible in the
schools without interfering with the rights OF 9TH
erS.
THE NEXT SPEAKER.
DR.. T. c. Chamberlin, president-elect Of the Wis
consin University called attention to the large in-
crease during the past twenty-five years in the
elements of secular education, both in the CON-
mon schools and in the colleges, while In the in
struction OF religion there has been but an ampli-
use to the impression OF the increase in Secuari-
zation in instruction. In some sections OF the
the repression Of the freedom Of inquiry the
question for discussion could be answered in the
Affirmative. He favored the cultivation OF the re-
lgiOus spirit In the public schools, without teach
ing those doctrines Of religion which are not gen.
orally accepted.
DR. GAILAUDET,
the pr6SlQcQC OI tuc UcdI NIUE was Cne
next speaker. He spoke in favor OF religious in
struction in the public schools but OF an unde-
nomfnational character. He thought that the
children OF parents Of one faith should be taught
TO respect the children OF parents OF another faith
He thought that religious instruction cou% not be
left entirely to the DENOMINATIONS for ma .: the
children are not under the influence OF 81 re-
lgiOuS denomination. In determining 80 C
character of religious instruction In tho pubic
schools there should be spirit OF compromise. A
book Of Scripture selections taken from the Donay
Bible and the Protestant Bible, for example, might
be used and in order to avoid OffenSe to the Jews
the divinity Of Christ need not be made prominent
but his moral teachings, the excellence OF which
all recognize might be set forth. In this way the
Bible might be read in the public schools without
giving Of1enSe to any one. He would, however, in
sist that no denomination should claim that they
were better than the others. Such a spirit was
Inconsistent with our institutions. He was op-
posed to voting public money to support denomi-
national schools especially schools which were
controlled by men who owe their allegiance to q
foreign power.
Rev Dr. Rggleston, Prof. Kenaston, and Mr.. j.
H. Biodgett spoke briefly on the question, thus
closing the discussion.
June at Falls Church, Va.